Machimoi Epilektoi
Cheap and highly effective, these Egyptian levy pikemen are fast-training units that can be easily recruited at nearly no cost, requiring only 100 Timber as a base cost, followed by a ramp cost of 3 Food and 1 Wealth. Their use of pikes means that they are highly effective when massed together against the enemy's melee units. But if this is so, why won't an Egyptian player normally rely on these guys? The answer is that unlike many levy units, 'Machimoi Epilektoi '''have a very steep tech curve. requiring two different upgrades in order to be accessed. These upgrades are Plebeian Representation from the Assembly and Populism from the Meeting House. The steep requirements in order to access the Machimoi Epilektoi mean that only in a highly democratised and populist society can such men be raised for the purpose of making war, meaning that the Egyptians are somewhat constrained in their ability to raise these levy units. Usually, by the time you do get them, your enemy will have moved on, either to ranged cavalry which would be the bane of spear troops, the Machimoi Epilektoi included. In addition to the politically sensitive decisions required to unlock Machimoi units, you also need to spend much treasure, wood, influence and food just to tech up and get the upgrades required to get to them. Equally, they aren't always the best units — Machimoi Epilektoi have NO LOS, and most certainly have very poor situational awareness, so using them as a defensive unit is usually out of the question. As if that was not bad enough, that lack of situational awareness makes them a highly tempting target for Spies. Thus in conclusion, as in real life, while the Machimoi units, particularly the Epilektoi, might be useful, you shouldn't have a military strategy that revolves around using them. The Machimoi Epilektoi probably serve best when you have to (as the Romans say) "go to the ''triarii" and you just happened to have just the right set of techs unlocked to use them. On the other hand, their cheap cost and fast training time can make them useful "trash" units that can be used to lock down other factions to help the Egyptians secure a Wonder victory. See also *''Phalangitai, ''Pantodapoi Phalangitai, Phalangitai Deuteroi Other units *''Machimoi Peltastai'' *''Machimoi Hippeis'' Background Machimoi was the designation for native Egyptians conscripted to fight in the Hellenistic fashion for the Ptolemaic crown. Ptolemaic rulers mainly relied on Greek settlers to provide the core of their army, but soon enough there was a manpower shortage. The answer to this problem were the Machimoi who were levied en masse and trained to fight in Hellenistic fashion. Their first and most prominent appearance was at the battle of Raphia, however, in the long term these men became rebellious towards their Hellenistic masters, as evidenced during the Great Egyptian Revolt of 205-188BCE. Succession struggles in Alexandria only increased the Lagids' inability to control them, although great efforts were made by the pharaohs to buff up their legitimacy in the eyes of native Egyptians. Category:Ptolemaic Egyptians Category:Pike infantry Category:Unique units